US 4,883,272 AGranted

Ball catching frame with ball expelling machine connected thereto

OwnerWilliam C. Layinventor

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Abstract

A multi-purpose ball expelling apparatus which can be used with repeated operations for the training of baseball fielders, batters and pitchers comprising in combination a special netted frame in which a ball can be thrown, collected and pass into a special ball expelling machine which can be adjusted to expell the ball as a grounder, pop-fly or straight pitch. An inverted U-shaped frame is in a generally vertical plane and has a net stretched tightly across it. A brace is connected to each side leg of the U. A rectangular frame is supported in a generally horizontal plane by the U-shaped frame and braces. A second net is also stretched tightly across the rectangular frame. The rectangular frame downward somewhat toward its front edge to direct a ball into the expelling machine. A third net is attached to the top of the U-shaped frame and hangs loosely down to the net on the rectangular frame. This third net has a rectangular opening which serves as a baseball pitching target.

A multi-purpose ball expelling apparatus that can be used with repeated operations for the training of baseball fielders, batters and pitchers comprising in combination a netted frame joined to a ball expelling machine,

(a) the said netted frame comprising an inverted U shaped frame having two separate legs as the sides of the inverted U, each leg having a support brace one end of which is adjustably attached near the top of each leg and the other end of the brace resting on the ground so as to maintain the inverted U shaped frame in a forwardly inclined position, a rectangular frame having two sides, a back and front section, the front end of the two opposite sides of said rectangular frame being adjustably joined between and to the said support braces from about 10 to 25 inches above the bottom of said braces, and the back end of said opposite sides being adjustably joined between and to the legs of the inverted U shaped frame at a position so as to have the rectangular frame sloping downward and said back ends of the opposite sides extending beyond the legs and joining the back end of the rectangular frame so as to form a reinforcement section to said frame, and the front section of the rectangular frame being formed in a V shape and being fixedly attached to and within the braces at about 10 to 25 inches from the bottom of said braces, and having means for attaching a ball expelling machine at the point of the V, a tight net being joined to all sides of the rectangular frame with an opening near the point of the V at the front of said frame to permit any ball on the net to drop down the opening, a tight net being attached between the legs of the inverted U shaped frame, and a net being attached to the top of the inverted U shaped frame and loosely hanging down so that the bottom end touches the net on the rectangular frame,
(b) a ball expelling machine being firmly attached to and under the front end of the rectangular frame at the point of the V, said machine comprising a housing with an opening at the top positioned directly under the opening in the net at the point of the V on the front section of the rectangular frame, a power driven wheel in said housing positioned such that the outer circumference edge of the wheel strikes the outside cover of any ball dropping down the opening and forcefully pushes it forward along the inside of the housing, a curved ledge following the contour of the wheel but under the wheel and positioned so as to direct any pushed ball into an outward direction towards an opening in the front side of the housing, an adjustable lever at the end of the curved ledge that can be adjusted to change the slope of the ball as it exits the opening in the housing.

Abstract

Claims12